Cooker

Abstract

A cooker is disclosed. The cooker includes a cooking assembly having a cooking member, a hinging arrangement to mount the cooking assembly onto a support so that the cooking assembly can be displaced relative to the support between an operative position in which the cooking member is in a substantially horizontal orientation, and a stowed or inoperative position in which the cooking assembly is displaced towards the support, and a front drip tray that is pivotally mounted on the cooking assembly and that is configured to pivot relative to the cooking assembly while the cooking assembly is pivoted between the operative and stowed positions and to catch cooking waste, such as drippings from the cooking member as the cooking assembly is pivoted into the stowed position.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A cooker, which comprises:
 a cooking assembly having a cooking member; 
 a hinging arrangement to mount the cooking assembly onto a support so that the cooking assembly can be displaced relative to the support between an operative position in which the cooking member is in a substantially horizontal orientation and a stowed position in which the cooking assembly is displaced towards the support; and 
 a front drip tray having a pin assembly to pivotally mount the front drip tray on the cooking assembly and wherein the front drip tray is configured to pivot relative to the cooking assembly while the cooking assembly is pivoted between the operative and stowed positions and to catch cooking waste, such as drippings, from the cooking member as the cooking assembly is pivoted into the stowed position. 
 
     
     
       2. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the hinging arrangement is configured to engage and support the cooking assembly, in a releasable manner, in the operative position and, upon manipulation of the cooking assembly, to permit the cooking assembly to pivot into the stowed position. 
     
     
       3. A cooker as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the hinging arrangement includes a mounting plate fastenable to the support and two spaced hinge brackets extending generally orthogonally from the mounting plate, each hinge bracket defining a slot that extends generally orthogonally with respect to the mounting plate and a passage that extends from a front end of the slot and that opens at an upper edge of the hinge bracket. 
     
     
       4. A cooker as claimed in  claim 3 , which includes a hinge rod that is mounted on the cooking assembly to extend generally parallel to the mounting plate, the hinge rod being receivable in the passage and the slot and being able to slide in the slot towards and away from the mounting plate. 
     
     
       5. A cooker as claimed in  claim 4 , in which each hinge bracket also includes a detent recess defined in the upper edge, a detent rod being mounted on the cooking assembly and generally parallel to the mounting plate, in front of the hinge rod, to support the cooker assembly in the operative position when the hinge rod is received in the slot and the detent rod is received in the detent recess. 
     
     
       6. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1  which includes a bottom drip tray that extends across an operative bottom side of the cooking assembly, opposite the cooking member, to catch drippings from the cooking member, while the cooking assembly is in operation, the front drip tray and the bottom drip tray being positioned relative to each other to permit material from the bottom drip tray to move, under gravity, into the front drip tray, at least when the cooking assembly is in the stowed condition. 
     
     
       7. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the cooking member includes a front edge formation to direct cooking waste from the cooking member into the front drip tray past a face of the cooking assembly when the cooking assembly is displaced from its operative to its stowed position. 
     
     
       8. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the cooking assembly defines an interior space and includes a heat source arrangement within the interior space, the heat source arrangement including any of a plurality of gas burners and electrical heating elements. 
     
     
       9. A cooker as claimed in  claim 8 , in which the cooking member is detachably mounted or mountable over the heat source arrangement. 
     
     
       10. A cooker as claimed in  claim 9 , in which the cooking assembly and cooking member include a plurality of complementary retaining formations to locate, secure and retain the cooking member in position while the cooking assembly is displaced between the operative position and the stowed position. 
     
     
       11. A cooker as claimed in  claim 10 , in which a handle is arranged on the cooking member to facilitate displacement of the cooking assembly between the operative and stowed positions. 
     
     
       12. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes a lid for closing-off at least part of the cooking assembly when the cooking assembly is in its stowed position, and for mounting onto the cooking assembly when the cooking assembly is in its operative position in a manner that forms a splash back for the cooker. 
     
     
       13. A cooker as claimed in  claim 1 , which includes a lid for closing off an internal volume of the cooking assembly to inhibit the ingress of vermin.